


The Way to a Man's Heart

by Rachello344



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Nen, Getting Together, M/M, Mafia AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-25 07:24:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13829307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachello344/pseuds/Rachello344
Summary: Kurapika is a bodyguard for the Nostrade Family, one of ten mafias ruling the city.  Chrollo is the boss of the Phantom Troupe, a group whose personal mission is to ruin the lives of the mafia.  He's also one of the best chefs in the city, cooking food at the restaurant the Troupe uses as a front for their illegal dealings.  Kurapika found the restaurant after work one day and fell in love with the food.





	The Way to a Man's Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bakaramia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bakaramia/gifts).



> Happy (belated) Valentine's Day, Meghan!!! <3 I hope you like it even half as much as I like you. ;D
> 
> Surprising though it may be, Hunter X Hunter is probably one of my favorite anime series of all time, and KuroKura is easily my favorite ship (even if only a handful of us ship it). So, it was about time I wrote something for them--especially since I've rewatched the Yorkshin arc at least three or four times at this point. (And I only watched the series for the first time a year or two ago.)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy my first foray into Hunter X Hunter!

Kurapika’s knuckles ached, and his hands were shaking as he paced away from Chrollo.  Chrollo’s face had been totally blank, dispassionate, even as the blow landed.  When Kurapika turned around to face him again, Chrollo was rubbing his jaw, but his expression hadn’t changed.

The Chrollo Kurapika thought he knew would have said something.  Complained, at least; pouted maybe.  But instead, he simply watched.

They were at an impasse, silence hanging heavily over them, stretching tight between them.  Kurapika took in a shuddering breath, letting it out slowly.  Chrollo held perfectly still.  Chrollo, the best chef he’d ever encountered, and also apparently the leader of the most notorious gang in the city.  His friend, except apparently not.

The man he was looking at was a stranger wearing his friend’s face.

And to think, he’d actually started to…

“Are you going to turn me in?” Chrollo—the boss finally asked, his voice almost without inflection.  “You know who I am now.”

“You—”  Kurapika took an aborted step forward.  “Are you _kidding me_?”  His voice was low, but he could feel the fury building up just under his skin, burning its way through his blood stream.  It was too reasonable a question after Kurapika _punched him_.  “After all this time—I’m friends with your _gang_.  And I’ve known they were members for a while, haven’t I?”

Chrollo said nothing, meeting his eyes evenly.  Kurapika ran his fingers through his hair, the motion rough and distracted.

“This whole time—I don’t even know you!”  Kurapika gestured widely.  “I thought we were _friends_ , but I’ve been talking to some fake version of you this whole time?  I can’t believe you!  I thought you liked me!”

“I do,” Chrollo said, his voice soft and a step shy of sweet.  “Of course, I like you.  I thought recently that maybe that was mutual.”

Kurapika scoffed.  “Maybe, but what does that matter?  You’ve been lying to me this whole time.  The Chrollo I’ve been getting to know is _fake_.  How can I trust anything you’ve told me?  Your entire persona was a complete lie!  I mean,” Kurapika gestured at Chrollo, “look at you.  A persona is one thing, but that version of you has nothing in common with whoever _this_ is.  You may as well be a stranger.”

Finally showing some reaction, Chrollo winced, but said nothing.  Kurapika suspected there was nothing to say.  He shook his head, turning around.

“Good bye, Chrollo.”

Kurapika walked away, forcing himself not to look back.  Some part of him hoped that Chrollo would call him back and offer to explain.

He swallowed down his disappointment.

 

* * *

 

Kurapika drew up short, the sidewalk suddenly obscured by a broad chest.  He took a step back, looking up.  Uvo was frowning down at him.

“Uh,” Kurapika said intelligently.  Somehow, he’d expected to be allowed to lick his wounds in peace, but apparently that was out of the question.

“Why’d you stop coming to the restaurant?” Uvo asked.  “Just because things are weird between you and the boss, doesn’t mean the rest of us should be forced to suffer.”

Kurapika opened his mouth to answer, but Uvo barreled on, uninterested in whatever he was about to say.

“I mean, it’s _your_ table.  And the others won’t say it, but they miss you, too, so you should hurry up and come back.  What are you doing tonight?”  Uvo crossed his arms impatiently.

“I hadn’t really—”

“Great, you’re coming to dinner tonight,” Uvo decided for him.  “And if you don’t show, I _will_ come get you.”  He grinned, his teeth glinting sharply.  “I know where you live.”

Some part of Kurapika acknowledged that a line like that should come across as a threat, but coming from Uvo, all Kurapika could do was smile.  “Okay, fine.  I’ll come to dinner.  But I don’t want to see him.”

Uvo waved him off with a roll of his eyes.  “It’s Friday night.  It’ll be too busy for him to come out anyway.”  With that, apparently satisfied, Uvo nodded and turned to walk away.  “See you tonight, Kurapika,” he called behind him.

Kurapika shook his head.  This was what he got for consorting with a gang, he supposed.  He turned around to head back to his apartment.  If he was going back to the restaurant tonight, he was going to spend the afternoon shoring himself up.

He could buy groceries tomorrow.

 

The hostess waved him past the crowded entryway, smiling widely.  “We’ve missed you!”

“I’d stay to chat, but,” Kurapika glanced across the line, “you seem busy.  I’ll see myself back, okay?”

She sighed.  “That would be great, Kurapika.  Enjoy your dinner!”

He waved, slipping past the crowd and finding his way to the only empty table in the restaurant: a two-person table by the window.  As usual, there was a small red candle lit, and a rose sitting in the vase.  He took his seat, ignoring the fact that the other tables all had carnations.

As he moved to put his napkin in his lap, his fingers brushed over a small piece of cardstock.  _If you want to know the real me, then wait_ , it read in loose cursive.  _Wait until the other customers have all gone.  I can show you then._

Kurapika frowned, fingers rubbing over the edge of the paper, worrying it between them.  Maybe…  Maybe Chrollo cared more than he thought.

He shook his head.  He was only here for dinner.  He wasn’t going to just sit here, waiting like some kind of fool.  Before he could give it more thought, Uvo dropped into the seat across from him, setting his usual order of tea on the table, distracting him with talk about what had happened in the restaurant lately.

Machi brought his food over after about a half hour, scolding Uvo for slacking, when he had a job to do.  He groaned and complained, but when Machi turned her back, Uvo shot him a wink before he headed back.

Machi came back to top off his tea and sat across from him, asking about his bodyguard work and how everything was going.  For a moment, Kurapika hesitated, but eventually spoke normally.  His client wasn’t someone they were interested in, and her father was not technically his problem.

Slowly, the candle burned low, and the customers trickled out.  One by one, it seemed like the whole staff came over to keep him occupied while he waited.  Not that he _was_ waiting, Kurapika tried to tell himself.  He’d just missed seeing everyone.  They were his friends.

And if he touched the card and reread it between visitors, that was his own business.

Finally, the customers were all gone.  The hostess was sent home, and everyone spilled out of the kitchen to straighten up and reset things.  Kurapika helped, falling into it easily.  When everything was reset, everyone headed into the kitchen, Uvo pushing Kurapika along in front of him.

Kurapika went willingly.

The kitchen was empty as they passed through it to a door in the back.  On the other side was a wide warehouse space.  There were a number of boxes in stacks around the edges, and a couple of shipping containers toward the back, but everyone was making their way to the center.  There were several old couches set in a loose circle around a low table.  A whiteboard was shoved off to the side.

And in front of it all, Chrollo stood, his back to the group.  Kurapika stopped behind one of the couches, taking him in.  His dark hair was slicked back, and his arms were crossed behind his back, coming to rest at the base of the reversed cross on the back of his coat.

Once everyone was seated, Chrollo turned around.  Somehow, just looking at him, his expression, the way he carried himself, Kurapika could tell that _this_ was the real Chrollo.  Not the chef, not the boss—just Chrollo.

“Feitan, go over the plan with everyone again.”  Chrollo crossed the sitting area.  “Kurapika, if you would?”  He gestured to an area just out of earshot of the others.

Kurapika nodded, following him without a word.  He crossed his arms as they stopped, but otherwise said nothing, waiting for Chrollo to explain.

“I’m in a difficult position,” he said.  His posture was open, his eyes resting on Kurapika’s face without difficulty.  “In public, I cannot under any circumstances show my real face.  If I slip up, even for a moment, I could be caught, and we would lose everything.  If they find me, they’ll quickly discover the others.”  Chrollo sighed.  “This warehouse,” he gestured around them, “and my apartment are the only places where I can be myself.”

Kurapika winced.  “And you’re okay with that?”

Chrollo’s shrug said he didn’t have much choice in the matter.  “We’re going to be robbing the house of one of the city’s Ten Dons tonight.  If you want to know the real me, you should come with us.  The job is as much a part of me as anything else.”  His lip quirked up slightly, but it was nothing near the smiles Kurapika was used to seeing.  Even so, his heart skipped a beat at the raw honesty of it.  “If you don’t want to, you can walk away, and I’ll never bother you again.  Everything will go back to normal for you.”

Kurapika frowned.  “Isn’t that a security risk?  What if I decided to turn you in?”

“If that’s what you decided, I wouldn’t stop you.  None of us would.”  Chrollo frowned.  “This is entirely your choice.  You’re under my protection, Kurapika.  That won’t change.”

“Can I think about it?”

Chrollo nodded.  “You have about ten minutes before we leave.  Once we’ve left, though, that’s it.  I can’t give you more time than that.”

“Thank you,” Kurapika said.

Chrollo nodded again and left him without another word.  Kurapika watched him go, bemused.  He shouldn’t even consider it.  Knowing he was friends with thieves and murderers was one thing, but actually being present for it was definitely crossing some kind of a line.

Kurapika watched everyone prepare from the shadows.  He wasn’t going to go.  He was going to leave, and everything would finally go back to how it should be.  He was going to walk away, and he’d never have to deal with Chrollo again.  No more conversations, no more roses on his table, no more hesitation, no more confusion.

“Are we all ready to go?” Chrollo asked.  Everyone confirmed, setting off toward an outer door, chatting amongst themselves.  Chrollo hung back, putting some distance between them before he slowly advanced.

Kurapika fell into step beside him.

Chrollo said nothing, but his shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, and his lips quirked briefly.  The moment was fleeting, but it was enough that Kurapika knew he’d made the right choice.

If he walked away now, the curiosity would eat him alive.

“Can I ask why?” Kurapika said, his voice low.

“Sure,” Chrollo said.  “I’m not sure I really have an answer, though.” He tilted his head back, obviously giving the question some consideration.  “I suppose…  Because we can?  The dons terrorized this town, and no one did anything about it.  The police have all been bought by one family or another, and people were being hurt.”

“So you’ve made it your job to hurt the dons?”

“Yes.  That sounds about right.”  Chrollo glanced at him.  “We don’t hurt civilians or innocents.  Only mafia members.”

Kurapika could feel himself relax.  “You’re not killing anyone tonight, are you?”

“No,” he said.  “That’s why it had to be tonight.  The Family is out of the house, so it should be a quick job.  In and out.”

Kurapika knocked on his head, superstitious in spite of himself.  Chrollo chuckled, but it was muted.  All of him seemed muted, washed out and faded, but without losing the sheer intensity.  Vibrant grayscale.

After several more steps, Chrollo turned to look at him.  “I’m glad you decided to come.”

“Yeah?” Kurapika met his eyes, but he couldn’t quite hold his gaze.  It was too much.  “Not trying to recruit me, are you?”

Chrollo barked out a laugh, startlingly loud.  The others glanced back, but inevitably kept walking.  “Recruit you?  No, no.  That isn’t how we operate.”  He laughed again, but under his breath.  “No, but you could join us.”

“What?”

Chrollo shrugged.  “You met our recruitment criteria.”

Kurapika narrowed his eyes.  He couldn’t tell if Chrollo was joking.

“When you fought Uvo,” Chrollo explained.  “If you’ve beaten a member, you’ve earned the right to join.  And even if you hadn’t, any one of them could recommend you, and if I gave the go ahead, you’d be in.”

“And that’s… not an attempt at recruiting me?” Kurapika asked again.

“No, I just thought you wanted to know as much as you could.”  Chrollo faced forward again, his lips pulling at the corners.  “And you should know, that you have a place with us, if you want it.”

“Unfortunately, a life of crime doesn’t suit me.”

Chrollo shrugged.  “Our loss.”

Kurapika laughed, shaking his head, but he let a comfortable silence settle between them, mulling over the way this Chrollo spoke and moved.  His footsteps were almost silent, just barely audible, and he carried himself with the lazy, dangerous poise of a big cat.  He spoke softer, and he was much more subdued, but he was still charming in spite of that.

“Maybe,” Kurapika said slowly, “I may have reacted too rashly.”  Chrollo glanced at him, but remained silent, eyebrows lifting curiously.  “I think some part of me could tell that you were holding back, even if I never gave it any thought.”  Kurapika glanced up, eyes tracking over the clouds, just visible in the dark.  “I’m not going to apologize for punching you, but I am sorry I didn’t give you more time to explain.”

Chrollo smiled, but it was that same small thing from the warehouse.  Kurapika’s stomach flipped.  “That’s good.  I was worried I was going to have to resort to drastic measures.”  His expression turned serious, but Kurapika could see the spark of humor in his eyes.

“And then you would have been reported to the police for stalking,” Kurapika teased.

“You think me so unsubtle?” Chrollo asked.  “No, I would have wooed you back, even if it took years.”

Kurapika blinked slowly.  His cheeks felt warm.  “And if I moved?  My job is a little unstable.”

“I would have mourned the loss, I suppose.  Hope you find your way back.”  He sighed.  “Following you out of the city is the one thing I certainly couldn’t do.”

He sounded so disappointed by that, that Kurapika shot him a quick look and said, “It’s lucky that I don’t currently have any plans to move, then.”

“Very lucky,” Chrollo agreed.  His lips twitched again, but too soon, his expression was falling into the cool dispassion of the boss.  “This is the house,” he said, nodding to the large building they’d stopped in front of.  Calling it a house seemed wrong somehow.  No house should be that large.

“There’s a mansion within walking distance of the warehouse district?” Kurapika asked, frowning at it.  The Nostrade Family at least lived on the outskirts of the city.  Living this close to the center of the so-called crime district seemed like a mistake at best, and arrogance at worst.

This time when Chrollo smiled, it was cold and sharp, like the glint of a knife.  Kurapika swallowed.  The rest of the Troupe was going about their tasks, swift and methodical.  Kurapika watched, eyes taking in the movements, even though he didn’t understand much of what they were doing.

They moved like they were one being, like they all knew exactly where the others were and what they were doing.  And in the center of it all, like a spider on his web, Chrollo watched.

Kurapika licked his lips.  He liked Chef Chrollo well enough; he’d come to consider them friends, and while he’d never admit it, he once saw the potential for more between them.  But seeing Chrollo like this, Just Chrollo and Boss Chrollo, it made his heartbeat irregular.

If he’d ever thought about kissing Chrollo before, the thoughts had been no more than idle daydreams compared to the desire he felt now.

He decided not to think about what it said about him, that he was more attracted to the man after learning he was the city’s most wanted thief.

Uvo split off from the rest of the Troupe, settling beside him with a wide, reckless grin.  “Boss said you probably wouldn’t want to come in, so I’m gonna wait here with you.”

Kurapika smirked, his eyes not leaving Chrollo.  “He’s figured it all out, has he?”

Uvo chuckled.  “Of course.  He’s the boss.  He knows everything."

Chrollo glanced once over his shoulder, throwing Kurapika a wink before striding up the front steps and in the front door as if it were his own home.  Kurapika shook his head, biting the inside of his lip.  There was probably something wrong with him, he decided.  Maybe he was ill.  He could ask Leorio when they met for lunch later.

“So, you and the boss seem to be getting along again,” Uvo said, bumping Kurapika’s shoulder with side of his elbow.  Kurapika fought to keep his balance, but inevitably stumbled with the force of the nudge.

“I suppose,” Kurapika allowed.  “I feel a little better knowing that he does trust me, I think.”

“That’s why you were so mad?” Uvo asked, disbelieving.  “I thought you were mad that he was a criminal.”  He crossed his arms, frowning.

Kurapika felt heat creep into his cheeks.  “Well, I thought we were friends.  I don’t like being lied to by people I… care about.”

Uvo made a disbelieving noise.  “Care about, huh?”  When Kurapika looked up, Uvo was smirking.  “Lucky for me, I never bet against Machi where the boss is concerned.  I don’t think she’s ever been wrong yet.”

Kurapika frowned.  “What was she right about this time?”

“Oh, no,” Uvo waved a hand dismissively.  “I have money riding on this.  I’m not risking Nobunaga accusing me of cheating.”

Kurapika huffed, but turned back to the house.  “Fine.”

Chrollo and the Troupe were already leaving out the front door.  Kurapika still couldn’t believe that they were _walking_.  They all had stolen property on them.  There had to be countless cameras on the property.  There was every chance they could be stopped by the police on their way back.

But Chrollo strode down the steps, his Troupe following  behind, with all the confidence of an innocent man.  As Chrollo approached, Kurapika turned and fell into step beside him.

“It went well, I take it?” he asked.

Chrollo hummed, his eyes shining with satisfaction.  “Very well.  Never trust an automated security system, Kurapika.  They all have their weaknesses.”

Kurapika laughed under his breath.  “You’re unbelievable, you know that?”

If anything, Chrollo looked even more pleased.  “Am I?”

“Yeah,” he muttered, eyes falling to the tilt of his lips.  Such a small smile should not be as appealing as it was.  It didn’t seem fair.

“I’m going to walk Kurapika home,” Chrollo announced.  “The rest of you can take care of things back at the base, yes?”

“Yes, boss,” the Troupe chorused.

When they parted ways, Chrollo led them north down a street Kurapika didn’t recognize.  “This isn’t the way to my house,” Kurapika told him, unnecessarily.

“No,” Chrollo agreed, “I thought it only fair that I show you where I live, since I know where you live.”

Kurapika’s breath caught.  “As if taking me along on your job wasn’t risky enough,” he muttered.

Chrollo smiled at him again.  “Are you worried about my safety, Kurapika?”

“Hardly.  You seem to like putting yourself in dangerous situations.”  Kurapika shook his head.  “Far be it from me to stop you.”

“And you aren’t?”  Chrollo’s eyes flashed as they passed under a streetlight.  “You’ve gone willingly to observe a criminal activity with a group of known murderers and thieves, and now you’re letting one of them walk you home.”

Kurapika huffed.  “You’re the one who said I’m under your protection.”

“And you’re the one who chose to trust the word of a known liar.”  Chrollo was still smiling.  “That’s rather risky, too, isn’t it?”

“You only lie when you have a reason to lie,” Kurapika said.  “Even if it turns out to be a mistake, I…  I do trust you.  And you obviously trust me, or you wouldn’t be showing me where you live.”

Chrollo stopped outside an apartment building that was about as rundown as the one Kurapika called home.  Their eyes met and held.  Kurapika couldn’t look away.

“Do you want to come in?” he asked, his eyes darted briefly down to Kurapika’s mouth.  He had the feeling Chrollo wasn’t asking if he wanted a tour of the apartment.

“Is that wise?” Kurapika asked slowly.

“Definitely not.”

For a charged moment, they simply looked at each other, taking in each expression, each shift of weight.  Kurapika teetered on the edge of a precipice.  “This is probably a mistake.”

“Maybe,” Chrollo allowed.  “Or maybe it’s the next logical step.”

Kurapika shook his head.  “Logic has nothing to do with this.”

He closed the scant distance between them and pressed their mouths together in a chaste kiss.  When Chrollo began to respond, his tongue swiping along Kurapika’s lips, he pulled away.

“I want to come in,” he said.  Chrollo’s answering grin was fire bright, scalding.  Kurapika didn’t think he’d mind being burned.

**Author's Note:**

> I do have a little more I'd like to add to this someday, but I don't know when I'll have the time to write it. Leorio and Melody would probably make an appearance, and I'd probably include more of the Troupe's interactions with Kurapika. Especially Shalnark, but his role in this 'verse is a surprise. ;D
> 
> If you like it, and you'd like to see more, please leave me a comment! I'd love to know what people think! <3 I hope you enjoy!!


End file.
